Today is a day for reflection.  It is a day when all Americans and others around the world remember exactly where they were on 9-11-01.

I was on my way to the office. I had just stopped for my coffee and was waiting at a traffic light to cross.  I saw a very low flying plane and thought oh my God that plane is going to crash.  I got to the office and minutes later the news started coming through. At first we thought it was a horrible accident and then it just got worse and worse. For hours we were glued to radios and screens trying to understand all that was going on. Phone service was not great and everyone was trying to contact someone.

After several hours we were told that there would be ferry service going back and forth to NJ. Aside from that there was no train or bus service and the bridges were closed. My friend Julie and I decided to start walking to the river to get a ferry. It was so surreal since it was such a beautiful September day and here we are trying to deal with the world we knew being changed forever. The smell of smoke was in the air.

Everyone in the streets was exceptionally friendly. Everyone was glad to see the police. Everyone was trying to help other people.  Manhattan was one big neighborhood.

When we got to the West Side Highway we did not know what to expect next. Lines of people were snaking all around queuing up for the ferries. Many people were dust covered and most of us had shocked looks on our faces. We were told that there were decontamination stations set up on the Jersey side for those coming from downtown. We were lucky to bump into Julie’s cousins who had parked at the ferry that morning. We now had a ride home!!  New York Waterways did a sensational job of getting all of us safely to NJ.  That evening my neighbors and I gathered in the front of our townhouses to share in conversation and wine and think about all of those who were not as fortunate as we were that night.

We must never forget what happened to our country that day.

And we must never forget to tell people that we love them because one never knows what can happen.

And to this day 14 years later, I never leave the house without a bottle of water in my bag and shoes that I know I can go any distance in.